We talk to ourselves all the time and what we say influences what we do…including whether or not we lose weight. Self-talk is very powerful. By repeating the same thoughts over and over, the mind actually comes to believe they’re true. We tend to act in ways consistent with our deepest internal beliefs. So, frequently, the statements become self-fulfilling.

For example, if you tell yourself every day that losing weight is hopeless, eventually you will feel powerless to make changes. Simply put, you can talk yourself into doing something — such as losing weight — or talk yourself out of it.

How is your self-talk? Listen to that voice in the back of your head. Is it positive and moving you toward your goals? Or is it destructive and undermining your weight-loss goals? The good news is negative self-talk can be changed by positive self-talk.

Positive self-talk is a valuable skill that will enhance your self-image and move you closer to reaching your goals. To help learn this skill write down your self-talk, it will help you to think more objectively about yourself and your weight-loss efforts. If your self-talk is negative, write down a positive version instead. For example replace ‘I’m a hopeless failure. It’s been over a week, and I haven’t lost a kilo’ to ‘I may not have lost weight, but I did exercise and plan my meals every day. If I keep making these small changes, I’ll reach my goal’.
You can also use a diary to record your successes at the end of each day. What did you do well? Focus on the positive (“I went to the gym three times this week and felt great!”), not on the negative (“I missed going to the gym two days.”) And think about how you can make tomorrow better. Be sure to celebrate every one of your successes, even if it seems small.

Here are a few examples of how you can change your self-talk so that it works for, not against, your weight loss goals.